Conodo12 Posted April 13, 2009 Report Posted April 13, 2009 Keith - Do me a favor and post a picture of your inducer tube from the BBQGuru guys. While you are posting pics, lets see one of the inducer tube in your KK. This should not be this difficult so lets see what the issue is, OK?
kravnh Posted April 13, 2009 Author Report Posted April 13, 2009 Conodo12 - Thanks for your offers for help. Here are some pics. The inducer tube is the Bulkhead inducer from BBQGuru. It is 4.5 inches long. The other pictures are of the faceplate, the factory-installed tube from inside the KK, and the bulkhead inducer tube inserted into the KK from both the outside and the inside. I think you can see that the bulkhead inducer tube does not extend far enough into the KK to screw the locking plate onto the tube's threads. Keith Bulkhead Inducer Tube: Inducer Faceplate: Inducer tube from inside KK (2 views): Bulkhead Inducer Tube Inserted from outside: Bulkhead Inducer Tube inserted from inside KK (2 views):
Conodo12 Posted April 13, 2009 Report Posted April 13, 2009 Keith - this is one for Dennis. I can tell you this in hopes that it will help - 1) Your inducer tube is the right one and the correct length. Snap ring is where it belongs. 2) I can get my lock ring on my inducer tube about two to three threads down the threaded end. 3) I think you got a "thicker" KK. (just a guess) Again, Dennis will have to take this one. Outside of gently tapping some of the mortar off of the inside the KK to expose more threads, I don't know what to tell you. Of course you could just use silicon to glue the inducer tube into place, but that defeats the purpose of the threaded inducer tube... Dennis?
DachsieSlave Posted April 14, 2009 Report Posted April 14, 2009 Re: Future KOmodos will be sent w/ the tube installed. To avoid these frustrating situations.. I've had some Guru tubes machined up and will be sending future KOmodos with the tube installed. Would that include the Bronze Beauties about to ship? I'm pretty sure it does not but let me see what I can do.. I had heard some vague rumors about customer service, is this a sign......
Ickkey Posted June 15, 2009 Report Posted June 15, 2009 Re: Future KOmodos will be sent w/ the tube installed. To avoid these frustrating situations.. I've had some Guru tubes machined up and will be sending future KOmodos with the tube installed. Dennis, Please let me know when you start installing the machined tubes on the Komodos. The boss (my wife) give me the thumbs up to place my order! Thanks
DennisLinkletter Posted June 16, 2009 Report Posted June 16, 2009 Almost all the Komodos on the container arriving June 20th Almost all the Komodos on the container arriving June 20th have the pre installed inducer tubes. From day one the faceplate was designed to use the short inducer tube not the bulkhead tube. Fred gave me the exact diameter for the short inducer tube to "snap" into.. This diameter is CNC (digitally) cut into the faceplate. The earlier faceplate has it's own tube through the refractory material.. it is redundant to use the longer bulkhead tube..
mguerra Posted July 10, 2009 Report Posted July 10, 2009 inducer tube solution My bulkhead adapter inducer tube fit exactly like kravnh's. The wall of the KK is so thick, none of the snap ring grooves will be outside the KK when you put the threaded nut on the bulkhead inducer tube and push it through from the inside. The solution is simple. Put the threaded nut on the tube just enough to secure it. Remove the snap ring. Push the tube through the wall of the KK from the inside until the nut comes up against the inner wall of the KK. The tube will stick out, but none of the snap ring grooves will. Put the snap ring on the tube, flush up against the outside of the face plate. It won't be in a groove, but it doesn't matter. It grips the inducer tube fine with just its' spring pressure. Works fine. No need to machine a new groove, or try any other machinations. Just leave it like that. Don't try this without snap ring pliers.
mguerra Posted July 10, 2009 Report Posted July 10, 2009 photos of snap ring Here are two photos. You can clearly see the snap ring is not in a groove, just firmly purchasing the tube by virtue of spring pressure. It's totally secure. I suppose we could ask the manufacturer to machine one more groove distal to the current outermost one. This would allow snap ring placement in a groove, on the "thicker" KK's. http://gallery.me.com/mpguerra#100173
kravnh Posted July 12, 2009 Author Report Posted July 12, 2009 mguerra, When I discovered the problem, I found a local machine shop, and they said they could machine another groove for $30. I left the tube with them, picked it up later that day, and they said, "It was easier than we thought it was gonna be when we talked on the phone; it will be $10." So now, I have a properly machined inducer tube that only sticks out approx. 1 3/8 inches, which I like better than the 2 inches or so it would have stuck out had it fit in the first place. Was my solution overkill? Probably; but then again, all of us on this forum went and purchased the best, most well-made cooker on the planet. I feel like I was doing the proper thing.
Sanny Posted July 12, 2009 Report Posted July 12, 2009 Yah, Kravnh, overkill is relative, huh? Some might argue the whole cooker is over engineered! But isn't that the beauty of it?
Big Poppa Posted July 12, 2009 Report Posted July 12, 2009 You know what's funny? I just got my two KK's and cancelled my order for Gurus because this thing is so stable and controllable... Did an overnight cook and only lost 8 degrees after eight hours
Amphoran Posted July 13, 2009 Report Posted July 13, 2009 I have to agree. I have a guru, but use it less and less as time passes.
kravnh Posted July 13, 2009 Author Report Posted July 13, 2009 I'm with you, Sanny. Getting an arguably over-engineered cooker made perfect sense to me, so making sure my inducer tube fit just so was money well spent. It's only overkill if it doesn't fit into your own vision of what is right, good, or appropriate. I've long since given up trying to explain to my friends, who own gassers, Webers, or WSMs, why I would "pay so much for a charcoal grill."
DennisLinkletter Posted July 13, 2009 Report Posted July 13, 2009 Still need a good thermometer with a probe.. I've used mine many times as a meat thermometer.. I've gone thru about 4 Mavericks and my Guru is the most accurate because it is a thermocouple . ThermoWorks has a thermometer with a probe (TW362B) for $19. Probes are not steel jacketed but are only $8 to replace also.. http://www.thermoworks.com/products/low_cost/oven_temp_timer.html
